I attended a conference for ProVisors (premier organization of senior-level trusted advisers) group leaders earlier today. It was energizing to spend the day with top notch trusted advisers and leaders. One of the speakers was talking about the power of collaboration vs. competition. I’ve found this to be true in my group as well. If two people who seem like competitors (perhaps two CPA’s) look for ways to work together, their business increases exponentially. For example, 1+1=16. If they see each other as competition, business declines. In this case 1+1=.5. In essence a scarcity thought process!
The bottom line is that “our competition isn’t the trusted adviser sitting next to us; it is complacency”. I loved this quote! It is quite easy to become complacent! However, why bother getting out of bed to go through the day being complacent? There is NO point as NO results will follow. Worse – results will deteriorate.
One tip to implement this week:
So, what can we do to avoid complacency this week? The great news is that no rocket science is required. It can be as simple as stepping out of your comfort zone. I received a message from an employee of one of my former clients early this morning. She stepped out of her comfort zone to give the leader of her facility her ideas. It was a risk as he could have thrown her out of his office; however, complacency was no longer enough. Instead, she was excited with his positive reaction. Push yourself to take a step forward.
It also can be as simple as mixing things up. If you usually walk the facility every morning and it has become just part of your routine and you don’t feel energized, STOP doing it. Instead, go to one of your employees, peers or leaders and ask him/her to walk the facility with you. Ask questions and listen. You’ll likely see entirely new things. If you always run a particular report or email a particular customer, call the appropriate people instead. Mix things up, and you’ll learn something new.
For example, yesterday I spent the day with Harvey Mudd students at projects day. These students are impressive – no complacency allowed! I left feeling energized and interested in new ideas and thinking about how to raise the bar.